The Colorado Springs Sports Corporation recently announced the expansion of a free afterschool program designed to teach kids valuable life skills through exposure to a variety of sports.

The Youth Education Sports program — YES, for short — is the result of a joint effort between the Sports Corporation, Pikes Peak United Way, the Skyhawks Sports Academy and TrueSport, the education and outreach arm of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

“We think this is a really important program,” said Audrey Shaw, TrueSport’s education lead. “It gives us the opportunity to provide kids with a solid foundation of sports and life skills at an early age.”

The program takes place during the academic year at Pikes Peak United Way’s newly opened Family Success Center, located in the former Pikes Peak Elementary School building in the southeast region of the city.

Situated in the heart of Harrison School District 2, the YES program was originally created with D-2 elementary students in mind, but has expanded to include a number of southeast schools in District 11, officials said.

“This expansion creates space for the program to grow and positively influence even more children in the community,” said CSSC spokeswoman Lauren DeMarco. “We’re excited about this program’s potential.”

The plan, according to Sports Corp officials, is to introduce youngsters to a total of 10 different sports — including basketball, flag football, lacrosse and more — in three-week blocks throughout the year. The center’s southeast location will allow students to walk there after school.

“I love the idea of giving kids access to different kinds of sports that they may not have tried before, and giving them a safe, interactive place to go after school,” said Elizabeth Quevedo, Pikes Peak United Way’s director of community impact.

On Monday, coaches from Skyhawks and TrueSport led boys and girls through several basketball drills, teaching fundamentals like footwork and defense, but always in the form of a game, which helps to keep kids engaged.

“What I love about these coaches is their ability to make learning fun,” said Les Hardy, a youth minister whose 7-year-old son is in the program. “The kids are playing games, but they are learning sports fundamentals at the same time.”

“(The coaches) are such good role models, and they’re having such a positive impact on these children,” Quevedo said.

The long-term goal is to teach kids a lot more than proper shooting form and defensive posture, officials said.

“We want to get kids passionate about sports, but we also want to incorporate skills that they can carry with them throughout their lives — respect, teamwork, leadership, sportsmanship and inclusion,” said Amanda Johnson, Skyhawks’ area manager. “Teaching life skills through sports — that’s our jam.”